Plan Ahead And Get Your Heating Ready For Winter

Scouts are always prepared – it’s part of their founding ethos. So if you ever strived for a badge or wore a woggle, you probably have a stash of emergency supplies and an evacuation go-bag under the bed, just in-case. As for your home heating requirements, it’s unlikely you don’t have that under control. We’re sure you know exactly what state your heater is in, when its warranty will run out, and what your options are for replacement.

For the mortals among who aren’t quite that organised, it may be good to remind yourself winter is coming. July won’t just bring back to Dany and the (surviving) Starks – it will also bring sub-fifteen temperatures, and it’s never too early to start getting ready. Besides, shopping six months in advance could avail summer discounts that you might not otherwise access. So let’s look at some heaters to keep you toasty as you face off those ice walkers.

Start by inspecting your home. What are the dimensions of your rooms? Do you wants a centralised system with flues or would you rather install a smaller furnace in each room? If the permanent occupants of your home are on the lower side, you can probably get away with one or two portable heating units and just carry them from room to room. You can also decide if you want gas, wood, or electric furnaces. Make a list of must-have features before your heater hunt.

Brighten up your space with the Jotul F305. (It comes in black too, but the black is painted on while the white comes from the enamel body itself). It’s a portable, wood-burning unit, and you can order it with legs or a pedestal, depending on your style preferences. It’s not a big heater – it can only warm up spaces of around 90m2. Tiny as it is, it has an optional flue system that can push heat up a single storey.

It looks a bit like an old fifties TV set, but the gleaming white gives a more contemporary feel to this Norway product. In terms of efficiency, it burns at 64% with only 1.0g of emissions. The flue can be installed at the top or back of these wood fired heaters, with their rounded edges, gorgeous viewing panel, and cast iron firebox. It’s still white though, so it’ll probably need careful, consistent cleaning to remove dust, ash, and soot.

Simply Electric

The Kogan 200W unit looks a lot like a wall-mounted TV. It’s has a glossy black fascia that – at a glance – resembles a flat screen in standby mode. Besides appearances, it comes with its own remote controller, so try to keep a straight face when your house guests spend several puzzled minutes trying to ‘turn on the TV.’ The Kogan is an electric unit, and it’s portable, so if it’s not glued to your wall, you can affix it to a floor stand and position it wherever you like.

It’s a quiet heater, so it won’t disrupt activities or drown out the actual TV (though it does beep loudly when you press any operating button).It’s a ‘smart’ heater which means you can link it to Google Assistant or Alexa. The box doesn’t come with a manual, but you can find one online that will guide you on configuring it for the internet of things. And some users have complained about its extra bright display, which stays on throughout.

Take The Kitchen Outside

BBQs don’t have to be restricted to Webers. You could have an outdoor cooker installed in your al fresco. Get one that doubles as a heater, something like the Escea EK1550 outdoor fireplace. It’s set into your wall, and doesn’t have glass cover, because you need to slot your food in. It does – however – have an option to stash away cooking surfaces, allowing you to enjoy the heat even when there’s nothing cooking. You can run the heater and ‘kitchen’ portions independently.

The EK1550 has a drawer made of stainless steel, and you can slide your cook surfacea into it when they’re not in use. These surfaces include three meat hooks, three cook plates, and three grills. The cooking plates can be used in 13 different settings, allowing you a variety of culinary options. The EK1550 also has three fat drip trays to enhance flavour and lessen your mess. It’s an ideal unit for the outdoors, thanks to its 4mm steel construction.

For ease of use, it has a hanging bar, gloves that can resist heat and flames, as well as an ember generator for extended, low-heat cooking (e.g. smoking, roasting, slow-cooking, or char grilling). For particularly large al fresco areas, you can add a flue kit to stretch the heat further, or even redirect it to the indoor portions of the house.